A Matter of Trust
by TXMedic
Summary: A sequel, of sorts, for the episode "Vanishing Act". Complete. Please R&R.


The characters of "Nash Bridges" are the property of CBS. No profit is made. This story is a sequel, of sorts, for "Vanishing Act".  
  
A Matter of Trust  
  
Unconsciously rubbing his sore wrists, Harvey stared at the computer screen that cast its soft glow on his face. The long ordeal was over. The buy had been completed, the Russians arrested and thrown in jail. Elvis was on his way to a new building, albeit with steel bars, and once the paperwork was completed Harvey could go home to his wife. His lip hurt, his head throbbed, his surprise for Bonnie was ruined and he desperately needed a shower. Then…there was the little bomb Evan had so casually dropped in his lap.  
  
Now, Harvey was left with some heavy thinking to do. He glanced around the huge bank lobby at the few people that remained at that late hour. Evan, Bryn and A.J. were thick as thieves over by A.J.'s desk, discussing the case they'd all just wrapped up. Harvey watched as Joe wandered over to listen in. Joe still looked shell-shocked over the fact that he was stuck with the bar he'd bought, hoping to sell it again for a quick profit. Harvey didn't realize he was scowling in anger, until he felt the pull on his split lip.  
  
Breathing a sigh and rubbing his brow with a knuckle, Harvey tried to drag his attention back to his paperwork. Looking away from the huddled group, he caught Nash staring back at him with concern. Harvey struggled to keep his emotions from showing on his face and broke eye contact. He just wanted to finish up and go home.  
  
Just as he finished what he was doing, Harvey felt a presence behind him and knew without looking who it was. Drawing a deep breath, he picked up his jacket and turned to face his friend. "Nash, I'd like to take a few days off, if that's okay."  
  
Trying to read the expression on Harvey's face, Nash nodded in understanding. After what Harvey had been through, he certainly deserved a break. "You've got it, bubba. Tell you what, I was sure glad to find you alive and well."  
  
Tilting his head, Harvey shot his friend a hooded glance. "Don't you mean you were relieved to see that I hadn't absconded with the money?" Crossing his arms at the look on Nash's face, he frowned. "Yeah, Evan told me what A.J. and Joe thought. It's nice to know your friends and co-workers have so much faith and trust in you."  
  
"Harvey-"  
  
"No, Nash, don't say it. Unless somebody displayed a major change in personality, there's not one of you that I would think would turn crooked. So how is it that they could think so little of me? What have I done to make them think I'd ever steal anything?"  
  
Trying to decide exactly how he was going to kill Evan, Nash scrambled to think of something to say. Unfortunately, Harvey had a point. "Harvey, I honestly don't know what to say. We had no idea what was going on, or what had happened to you."  
  
Slipping into his jacket, Harvey winced when he stretched too far the wrong way. "Look, Nash, I'm taking a couple of days off. We can talk about it when I get back." He looked into Nash's eyes for a moment then headed for the stairs. He didn't bother to tell anyone goodnight. He didn't trust himself.  
  
His eyes following Harvey as he made his way up the stairs, Nash pursed his lips in anger. They didn't need this type of situation right now. It could split the team and things were too busy at the moment to take a time- out to sort things through. Not that he could blame Harvey. Nash had been a little surprised as well at how quickly A.J. and Joe had suspected their fellow team member of skipping town.  
  
"Harvey okay?"  
  
Nash shrugged, staring at the now-empty staircase. Turning his gaze to A.J., who'd come up beside him, Nash sighed. "He's taking a few days off. Don't expect things to be the same when he returns."  
  
Puzzled by look on Nash's face and his tone of voice, A.J. frowned. "What's going on? Did something happen that I need to know about?"  
  
Nash cast a quick glance in Evan's direction before returning his gaze to the Lieutenant. "A little bird told Harvey that you and Joe had suspected him of skipping with the money. He's understandably angry and a little hurt that his co-workers think so little of him."  
  
Frowning, A.J. rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't need to ask who the little bird is, do I?"  
  
"Don't blame Evan for this, A.J. Harvey has a valid point. You two were pretty quick to cast doubt Harvey's way. To be honest with you, I'm just as confused as he is." Nash shrugged, waiting for A.J.'s response.  
  
Being unable to come up with a quick answer gave A.J. pause. Just why had it been so easy to doubt Harvey's character? Trying to come up with a reason now, after the fact, wasn't so easy. "Nash, right now I couldn't tell you. Then…I don't know. It seemed like a plausible scenario. I haven't known Harvey as long as you have; never worked with him before the SIU was formed."  
  
"Bubba, if there's one thing that is a must around here, it's trust. You have to be able to trust Harvey unconditionally, and he has to know that his fellow team members have that trust. If he thinks you guys don't have that faith in him, he's going to second-guess everything he does and that could get someone killed."  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Nash. I never should've even thought Harvey was capable of doing something like that, but I did. I don't know, maybe it's the hippie thing." A.J. tried a small smile then shook his head. Sometimes he really hated being the Lieutenant. "Look, it's been a long couple of days. We'll deal with this when Harvey gets back."  
  
"A.J., don't let this get away from you, bubba. Harvey's the best at what he does. We don't want to lose him." From the contemplative look on A.J.'s face, Nash thought he'd finally made his point. He rubbed a hand through his hair with a weary sigh. It was time to go home.  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
Home. Harvey had never been so happy to drag his bone-tired self up those steps in all the years he and Bonnie had been married. Of course if he'd had his way, they'd have had a place in the Haight. But, this was Bonnie's house, left to her by her mother. It was paid for, so he wasn't going to complain.  
  
He started to unlock the door, but it was pulled open before he could fit the key in the lock. He could tell from the look on Bonnie's face, that she hadn't gotten over her worry. That was only natural, but he was so tired. He wasn't sure he had the energy left to deal with her insecurities. Then there was the little issue of her inadvertent role in his abduction.  
  
Wincing when his wife wrapped her arms around him to hold him tight, Harvey tried to disentangle himself. It was easier said than done. Any other night, he'd be thrilled at her sudden need to be close. He was finally able to get Bonnie to loosen up long enough for him to get in the door. "Baby, let me at least get inside."  
  
"Harvey, I was so worried. When Nash and Joe were waiting for me the other night…I thought…I thought they'd come to tell me you were dead." Bonnie tried hard to keep from crying again. She could tell that Harvey was exhausted, but she'd been so worried. Then to have to carry the guilt of having blabbed to her sister, setting the ball rolling toward disaster…it was almost more than she could handle.  
  
"I'm sorry you were put through that, honey, and I hope you never have to go through it again. I'm okay. We're okay." But it had been so close. So very close. "I was worried that Aaron might do something to you."  
  
Sniffling, Bonnie gave him a wavering smile. "No, I was fine…just scared. When Joe and Nash came and started asking me all those questions, I finally remembered getting drunk with my sister. Good thing I remembered. I think Joe suspected I had you done in."  
  
Bonnie gave a small laugh at such a thought, but Harvey was stunned. It wasn't bad enough that they suspected him of running, but they had to cast their suspicions on his wife? His world seemed to spin out of control. How could he not have sensed such a lack of faith? What kind of detective was he?  
  
He suddenly realized Bonnie had been speaking. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"  
  
"I said the guys saw the Dead room. You should've seen their faces."  
  
No doubt. That was the first time either of them had set foot in his house, much less seen the shrine to the Dead. That thought gave him pause. He'd been to Nash's apartment countless times, but Nash hadn't been inside his home. Joe…well, Harvey had suspected from the beginning that Joe didn't like him very much. He wasn't sure why, though. I'm too tired for this.  
  
"Baby, I know we need to talk about what happened, but I'm just too tired. I'm going to jump in the shower then go to bed. We'll talk in the morning, I promise." He gave Bonnie a hug and held her close for a moment, reassuring her that he was safe and sound then headed for that long overdue shower.  
  
As the steaming water cascaded over his shoulders, soothing tense muscles, Harvey's mind refused to let go of the problem he faced. No matter how hard he tried to clear his head, it wouldn't cooperate. How was he going to face the others, knowing of their doubt?  
  
With a sigh, Harvey turned off the water and reached for a towel. No sense in driving yourself crazy. You won't figure it out tonight. After drying off and pulling on some blissfully clean clothes, he was rather urgently reminded that he hadn't eaten in two days. Heading into the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway and smiled. Bonnie sat at the kitchen table, a plate of sandwiches and a bowl of salad sitting in front of her.  
  
"I figured you'd be hungry, so I made you some sandwiches."  
  
As he walked past her to get a glass of water, Harvey leaned over to plant a kiss on top of her head. "Thanks. I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, but my stomach had other ideas."  
  
"Well, sit down and eat something." Pushing the plate closer to him when he sat down, Bonnie watched him for a minute as he ate. "I can't believe Aaron would do something like that. I knew he was bad news, but I didn't honestly think he would hurt anybody."  
  
Staring at his half eaten sandwich, Harvey contemplated softening the truth. He decided against it. Bonnie's sister would likely tell her everything, anyway. Looking her in the eye, he dropped the sandwich on his plate and reached across to take her hand. "It was close, Bonnie. I won't lie to you. Aaron came back to get rid of any witnesses, namely me, but Nash and Joe had been there first. We can be thankful Aaron was stupid enough to leave me chained near the phone cord, and that Nick finally remembered what I'd told him."  
  
Bonnie knew she had a lot to be thankful for. Her insecurities had very nearly cost Harvey his life. She knew the only reason he'd told her about the operation in the first place was because he was attempting to appease her. She'd complained about never knowing what he did on the job, and he'd finally broken down and told her. Pleasing her had nearly killed him.  
  
Picking up his sandwich, Harvey finished it while giving Bonnie time to absorb the impact of his words. He knew they had a lot to talk about, but he hoped she'd wait until they had both had some time to sleep on it. Any discussion now about what had happened would most likely end in an argument. He wasn't in the mood.  
  
For once, Bonnie left things well enough alone. She had enough sense to know that Harvey was nearing the end of his rope. When he looked like he was about to nod off in the middle of his second sandwich, she reached across and took it from him. "Time for bed, Harvey. We can talk about it tomorrow."  
  
Pulling her husband to his feet, she half led him down the hall to the bedroom. Smiling at the way he stumbled into bed, she turned out the lights and crawled in beside him. He was already asleep. For a several long minutes, she lay next to him watching him sleep. Reaching over to brush aside an arrant curl, she sent up a prayer of thanks and let Harvey's light, rhythmic breathing lull her to sleep.  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
"C'mon, Harv, just an hour or two. You're not coming in tomorrow, so what's a few beers?"  
  
"Evan, for the last time…I'm not in the mood." Harvey sighed, knowing the only way to shut his young partner up, was to agree to it. "I need to spend some time with Bonnie. Besides, I may not be working tomorrow, but you are."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm young. I can take it." Evan's chuckle came through loud and clear. "You've had all day to make it up to Bonnie."  
  
"Shut up, Cortez. Get your mind out of the gutter."  
  
"Oh, come on, Harv. Put Bonnie on the phone and I'll ask her if you can come out and play."  
  
Making a frustrated noise, Harvey threw his arm in the air in exasperation. "Evan, I don't need…that isn't…okay! Fine! I'll be there in half an hour, but you damn well better be buying."  
  
He hung up the phone with a little more force than necessary and thumped his head against the wall with a groan. Evan sure knew how to push his buttons. Fortunately, Bonnie was over at her sister's, trying to offer a little comfort. Harvey had just been using her as an excuse for not going out. He should have known it wouldn't work.  
  
The drive to the bar was strangely relaxing. Just the rumble of the Ranchero's engine and the mystical strains of Van Morrison. Contrary to his friends' beliefs, Harvey did listen to other music besides the Grateful Dead. Pulling into an empty parking spot on the street, Harvey glanced around, half expecting to see a bright yellow 'Cuda. He wouldn't put it past Evan and Nash to plot together to lure him to the bar under false pretenses.  
  
Once inside, Harvey looked around and spotted his young partner leaning over a pool table, apparently trying to show a young lady how to play the game. Harvey suspected she knew exactly how to play the game. She probably knew how to shoot pool, too.  
  
Shaking his head at the follies of youth, Harvey wandered over to the bar and took a seat. He ordered a beer and, while waiting for his drink, watched his partner with amusement. After the game ended, Evan leaned over to whisper a few words in the young woman's ear then headed over to join Harvey, a smile plastered across his face.  
  
"Hey, Harv. Glad you could make it. I was starting to think you were gonna stand me up."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I could tell you were worried." Chuckling at Evan's rueful smile, Harvey reached over for the glass the bartender had set beside him. "So, what did you drag me out here for, anyway?"  
  
Shrugging, Evan got the bartender's attention and ordered a drink. "I just thought maybe you'd like to kick back and relax for a few hours."  
  
"Yeah, right."  
  
"Seriously. Man, Harv, you're too suspicious for your own good." Evan returned Harvey's penetrating gaze a moment, then broke eye contact. "Okay, okay. I dragged you down here to check up on you. Satisfied?"  
  
"Immensely." Harvey laughed and shook his head. "Well, at least you care. Besides, to be perfectly honest…I was home alone."  
  
"Yeah? Where's Bonnie?"  
  
"She went over to her sister's. Aaron's little foray into kidnapping left behind more victims than just me." Rubbing a finger through the condensation on the side of his beer mug, Harvey sighed.  
  
"So, are you and Bonnie okay?"  
  
"I think so. We talked about it most of the morning." Shooting Evan a wry smile, Harvey shrugged. "Of course, I didn't tell her what I really felt. I didn't feel like fighting, and I knew she'd go off the handle if I told her she'd been incredibly stupid."  
  
"No doubt." Laughing at the image of Harvey and Bonnie nose to nose in a fight, Evan shook his head. "So…?"  
  
"So, she said she was sorry and promised not to blab again. I said okay, all is forgiven." Harvey chuckled at Evan's incredulous look. "Yeah, well, I won't tell her important details anymore. I was stupid to do it in the first place. I just got tired of her harping at me about it. Nothing's ever easy, Ev. Especially marriage."  
  
"No, I guess not. I love the single life, baby."  
  
"That's got its problems, too, brother. Believe me." And Harvey knew that sooner or later, Evan would run into those problems with his insatiable libido.  
  
"The only problem I see, is trying to decide which of those two chicks I invite home with me tonight." Pointing to the end of the bar, Evan indicated the blonde from the pool table and her redheaded friend.  
  
"Well, the first step would be not calling them 'chicks' to their faces."  
  
"Yeah, whatever you say, Harv."  
  
"C'mon, what say I pound you in pool for a while?" Taking his drink with him, Harvey headed over to the pool tables without waiting for an answer.  
  
"In your dreams, Harv."  
  
"How much you wanna bet, junior?"  
  
"Twenty bucks."  
  
"You're on, man." After setting up the balls, Harvey grabbed a pool cue and tested it for warp. Satisfied that it was as straight as he'd get in the little bar, he gestured for Evan to go first. "You got the break."  
  
Evan chalked up his own cue and lined up the cue ball. He sent the little white ball slamming into the others and watched as a solid rolled right into the corner pocket. "Solids it is."  
  
Unfortunately, he scratched the next shot and it was Harvey's turn. Lining up his shot, Harvey smiled as he banked a striped ball into the side pocket. Three shots later, it was Evan's turn again. "You're not doing so well, Ev."  
  
"Hey, I'll make up for it with this turn, don't you worry."  
  
"Wanna put your money where your mouth is?"  
  
"Okay, let's make it fifty." Evan was still confident he'd beat his partner. Surely he knew more about the game than an ex-hippie rapidly approaching forty.  
  
Smiling a Cheshire grin, Harvey agreed to the raise. He was glad he'd consented to meeting with Evan for a few drinks. He was already starting to relax. He'd just needed to get away and take his mind off his worries. He shot Evan a smirk when the younger man blew his next shot. Oh, yeah…this'll be fun. I love taking Evan down a peg or two.  
  
Feeling confident, Evan called his shot then leaned over to sight his last move. The game had been close. Harvey was a lot better than Evan would've given him credit for. Shooting his partner a cocky look, he sent the cue ball into the eight ball. The black orb rolled straight and true, into the left corner pocket.  
  
Watching in growing horror, Evan saw the cue ball follow right behind the eight. It teetered on the edge of the pocket for an agonizing second…and toppled in. It was a scratch.  
  
"Scratch! I win." Unable to contain his laughter at Evan's expense, Harvey slapped him on the back. "You owe me fifty bucks, Ev."  
  
"You didn't win. I just lost, that's all."  
  
"You want to explain to me what the difference is?" Replacing his cue stick in the rack, Harvey dusted his hands on his pants. Holding out his left hand, he waved his fingers. "C'mon, cough it up."  
  
Grumbling about his poor luck, Evan pulled out his wallet and fished out the money. "Here. Don't ever say I never gave you anything."  
  
Harvey slipped the money into his pocket then glanced at his watch. Guiding Evan over to the bar, he paid for his tab as well as his partner's. Holding up a hand when the younger man started to protest, Harvey shook his head. "No, man, I owe you one. I appreciate you asking me out here. I needed…a break."  
  
Glancing over at the end of the bar, Harvey noticed the two young ladies were still there. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ev. I've gotta head home."  
  
Chuckling when he only got a distracted response from his partner, who'd also noticed the young women, Harvey weaved his way back to the door. He would be heading home with a much lighter heart. At least he knew there was one person who still trusted him.  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
When he returned to work, Harvey was better rested than he'd been in a while. He had spent the previous day just puttering around, doing the household chores and repairs that had been put off due to his work. Harvey couldn't believe how long his 'honey-do' list had become. He'd somehow managed to get most of it finished by dinner and was able to spend a relaxing evening with Bonnie. Still, doubts hovered as he stood on the floor above the bank's lobby.  
  
Resolved to ignore those doubts, Harvey moved onto the lift. Stepping off when it reached bottom, he headed for the stairs. He'd sure be glad when the city found them a better place to work.  
  
Trotting down the steps, Harvey nodded greetings to several uniformed officers as they were jogging up the stairs. His eyes roved the desks below, taking in who was there and who wasn't. Nash and AJ were missing. Which meant they were either out on a case, or up in AJ's office.  
  
When he reached his own desk, Harvey dumped his bag onto his chair and frowned at the files piled next to his computer. With a sigh, he moved the bag to the floor and sat down to go over the stuff he'd missed while he was off.  
  
Propping his feet up on the countertop, he leaned back in the chair and opened the top file. Attached was a note that they needed him to run a search. Grabbing the keyboard, Harvey dropped it in his lap and spent the next few minutes tapping out the appropriate keys to initiate the search. Satisfied that it was running properly, he scribbled his own addition to the note and closed the file.  
  
"Hey, Harvey. Welcome back."  
  
Craning his neck without shifting his comfortable position, Harvey smiled. Bryn had to be one of his favorite people at the SIU. She was smart, intelligent and funny. "Hey, Bryn. Thanks, it's…good to be back."  
  
If she heard the hesitation, Bryn didn't let on. "All hell's been breaking loose the last two days, Harv. By the way…you better do something with Cortez, or I'm gonna kill him."  
  
"When did I become my brother's keeper?"  
  
"He's your partner, Harv. That's in the manual." Laughing, Bryn left Harvey to wonder what his young partner was up to.  
  
"Great." Where did Evan go, anyway? Tossing the file next to his computer, Harvey flipped open the next one. This one was a case the team was currently working on. Surveillance again. "Just great."  
  
"C'mon, Harvey. Don't like sitting in a truck all day, staring at a monitor?" Nash had been looking over Harvey's shoulder and knew exactly what had him irritated.  
  
"You know, Nash, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Harvey shook his head and waited for his heart to slow back down to a normal rate. Gesturing to the file, he raised his eyebrows. "What's this one all about, anyway?"  
  
"A new software company called Cyberhouse, Inc. had some valuable prototypes stolen yesterday. We don't know if the thieves plan to sell or ransom. Our main suspects are a pair of yo-yos who had been hired as security. The morning the employees realized the software had been stolen, those two hadn't shown up for their shift. The best we can figure, the prototypes were taken sometime between 3am and when the first egghead showed up for work at 7am."  
  
Glancing over the file once more, Harvey nodded to himself. "So these two guys, Phillip Tran and Bobby Moore, may show up at this address?"  
  
"Moore's girlfriend lives there, and it's a sure bet that he'll end up there sooner or later." Nash was willing to bet it would be sooner, rather than later. "You and Evan have drawn the midnight shift, so you two will be going home early. Joe and I will relieve you guys at 8am."  
  
"Bonnie will be thrilled." Talk about bad timing.  
  
"Harvey-" Glancing around at the normal crowd of officers walking around the center of the lobby, Nash jerked his head toward the stairs. "Let's take a walk, bubba."  
  
With an inward sigh, knowing there was no way to avoid the inevitable, Harvey put the keyboard and files back on the counter. He followed Nash up the stairs and into one of the offices not currently being used by the SIU or Tenderloin officers. He stared out the window for a moment, then turned to face Nash, and waited.  
  
He didn't have long to wait. "Harvey, are you okay with everything? I know some things were said that shouldn't have been, but I need to know if you've got your head in the game."  
  
Tilting his head, thinking about his response, Harvey glanced up at Nash. He wasn't sure if he should admit that it still bothered him. He knew, however, that there was nothing either of them could do about it. You can't make someone trust you, and Harvey didn't know what else to do to earn it. "I'm fine, Nash. I thought about it over my days off, and I guess they just did what we all sometimes do…assume the worst about someone when we don't know all the answers."  
  
Nash gave Harvey a penetrating look then nodded with a relieved smile. "Good to hear, bubba. What say we get back to catching bad guys?"  
  
Well, he'd convinced Nash. Now all Harvey had to do was convince himself.  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
Sighing for the umpteenth time, Evan stared into the monitor. Nothing. He was bored out of his mind. The only sounds in the van for last two hours had been his continuous sighs, and the tinny sound of the rain pelting the van's roof. His partner, usually ready with a sharp wit to keep things lively, was instead taciturn and pensive.  
  
They'd been sitting in the surveillance van for two days, parked across from the most rundown house Evan had ever seen. He couldn't believe anyone lived there. The whole house seemed to lean to the left. They weren't in the best of neighborhoods, either. He was surprised nobody had tried to steal the van. Of course, if they tried, they'd sure get a shock.  
  
"Okay, Harvey, I can't take it anymore. You haven't uttered a word in two hours."  
  
Startling slightly at the unexpected outburst, Harvey spilled soda down the front of his shirt. Swearing softly, he grabbed some napkins left over from their breakfast and wiped at the cold liquid. "Look what you made me do, Ev. Jeez!"  
  
"Sorry, Harv, but you're driving me nuts."  
  
"There's a switch. Usually it's you driving everyone else crazy." Harvey paused in his scrubbing to shoot his young partner a look of irony. "Speaking of which, what did you do to make Bryn want to strangle you while I was gone?"  
  
"Nothing, and don't change the subject."  
  
Tossing the damp napkins in the trash, Harvey stared innocently back at Evan. "Who's trying to change the subject? You said I was too quiet, so I'm trying to start a conversation. And satisfy a curiosity."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I don't buy that for a minute. Anyway, I didn't do anything to Bryn. Just tried to be friendly, that's all."  
  
"Tell me you didn't hit on her."  
  
"Of course I didn't hit on her! That's not what I meant by friendly. Jeez, Harv, Bryn's closer to your age than mine. She's not my type. Besides, I think she could probably kick my ass if she wanted to."  
  
Chuckling softly, Harvey glanced back at the monitor to hide his smirk. "Oh, I'd put my money on Bryn, all right. So if you didn't hit on her to tick her off, what did you do?"  
  
"Nothing!" Evan gestured wildly, trying to emphasize his innocence. "I just talked to her like I talk to you when we're on stakeout."  
  
"Wait a minute." The light began to dawn, and Harvey shook his head in exasperation. "You mean you talked about your love life, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah. So?"  
  
"The way you talk to me about it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, that clears things up, nicely." Shaking his head, Harvey fixed Evan with a look of disbelief. "Evan, did you talk about your sexual conquests, using 'chick' and 'girl' and words to that effect?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Harvey simply stared back at his young partner, waiting for the light bulb to go on. When Evan's eyes suddenly widened in understanding, Harvey picked up a file lying beside his elbow, reached across and whapped Evan in the side of the head with it. "Bingo!"  
  
"Oh, man. Well, Bryn's like one of the guys, you know? I just…forgot." Groaning, Evan dropped his head into his hands. He knew Bryn was going to make his life miserable for weeks. "Harvey, you gotta help me out, here."  
  
"Me? Why is it that everyone thinks it's my job in life to get you out of trouble?"  
  
"Harvey, you're my partner, c'mon."  
  
"I want to see where in the manual it says I'm my partner's keeper." Sighing when Evan gave him a puppy-dog look with his big, brown eyes, Harvey dropped his head in defeat. "Okay, you really want to know how to fix it with Bryn? Apologize to her."  
  
"Apologize?!"  
  
"You heard me. Tell her you're sorry, you're just used to talking to me all the time and got carried away. I wouldn't mention that part about her being 'one of the guys'. She might not take that very well."  
  
"Man, is that the only way?" Evan could just see how that conversation would go.  
  
"Yep. Evan, she's not going to bite. Just tell her you're sorry and be done with it."  
  
"That's easy for you to say, Harv, she likes you."  
  
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Ev. Bryn likes you, too. She's a smart lady and a great cop, who just doesn't get a lot of recognition for what she does. Makes her a little…defensive. I know how she feels. Do what I told you and you'll be fine."  
  
"Okay, okay. Anything to keep her from giving me those looks." Evan turned around and rested his elbows on the desktop. Dropping his chin in his hand, be began to compose his apology in his head. He'd been at it for over ten minutes when he realized Harvey had deftly sidestepped the issue of his being so quiet.  
  
"Ha! Nice try, Harvey. What's eating you, anyway?"  
  
Staring at the new soda stain on his pants, Harvey counted to ten then gave up and tossed the drink in the trashcan. He was wearing more soda than he'd been able to drink. Reaching for more napkins, Harvey shot his partner a look of utter disgust. "Evan, you're a menace."  
  
Clearing his throat, trying not to laugh, Evan handed Harvey another napkin. It was a good thing they'd grabbed so many when they stopped to get something for breakfast on the way to the van. "So? What's got you bugged?"  
  
"Besides the fact that I've got to try to get these stains out of my clothes?"  
  
"C'mon, Harvey, be serious."  
  
"I am serious." Seeing the pointed look on his young friend's face, Harvey relented. "Okay, Ev. What's got me bugged? Well, I'll tell you-"  
  
Before he could go into it, the door opened and two damp figures clambered into the van. Nash and Joe had arrived a little early for their surveillance shift. The two stood, hunched over to avoid the low ceiling, shaking water from their arms and hair. "Mornin', boys. It's a helluva wet one out there. Two solid days of rain, and no signs of it stopping."  
  
"Morning, Nashman. Here, try some napkins." Grabbing the last of them, Harvey handed a couple to Nash and the rest to Joe.  
  
"Thanks." Giving Harvey the once-over, Nash smiled and chuckled softly. "Got a drinking problem, there, Harv?"  
  
"Very funny, Nash. No, just a partner that likes to give me heart failure." As he stood to give up his seat for his boss, Harvey glanced once more at the monitor and froze. "Whoa, whoa. Guys, something's happening."  
  
Sure enough, a beat up dark sedan had pulled up in front of the house. Three men jumped out and ran up the steps to the house, trying to stay as dry as possible. A porch light came on and the three men slipped inside. The men in the van had had just enough time to catch a glimpse of the taller man's face, his pale hair plastered to his forehead. Bobby Moore.  
  
Nash smiled at the others in satisfaction. "We've got him. Evan, you and I will take the front. Joe, you and Harvey take the back. We'll give you five minutes."  
  
They compared times, set their watches accordingly, checked their weapons and piled out the door into the pouring rain. Keeping low, Nash and Evan headed for the front porch. Staying in the shadows, Joe ran for the back, Harvey right behind him. They had a little trouble getting up the hill in the slippery mud, but Harvey gave Joe a shove from behind that got the smaller man up quicker.  
  
Shooting Harvey an indignant look, Joe nevertheless reached down to pull him up the rest of the way. Wiping water from his eyes, he took a second to whisper his objections. "Watch where you put your hand next time, Harv."  
  
Biting back a laugh, Harvey shrugged. "I was in a hurry."  
  
After pushing the button that illuminated his watch face, Joe waved an arm for Harvey to hurry. They were running out of time before the other two burst through the front door. Slipping and sliding in the muddy, weed- filled back yard, they made their way to the back porch. Taking the rickety steps two at a time, they crept to the back door. Harvey pressed himself up against the wall on the left, Joe took the right, both drawing their weapons. Harvey watched Joe, who followed the second hand on his watch. Joe looked up and nodded.  
  
Stepping away from the wall and in front of the door, Harvey swung his leg up and kicked in the door. Joe was through first, yelling and swinging his weapon up to cover the room to the right. "S.F.P.D.! Everybody freeze!"  
  
Nash could be heard yelling the same thing from the front. Harvey ducked into the room on the left, weapon ready. He crossed the empty room quickly to check the closet, splashing through more than one puddle that had formed on the wooden floor due to an obviously leaky roof. The closet was as empty as the rest of the room. The echoing sounds of gunfire from the front of the house had him running for the door. He saw Joe dash from the room across the hall, weapon ready. Harvey's heart leapt to his throat. Evan. Nash. He took one more running step then disaster struck.  
  
The old, rotting house betrayed him. His foot went through the floor to his knee. Giving a yelp of pain and fear, Harvey tried to free his trapped leg. The sharp claps of gunfire could still be heard from the front of the house. What if the others were pinned down, or hurt? He heard Joe yelling his name, and a sick feeling settled in his stomach. Harvey struggled frantically to free himself, but couldn't get his leg out of the hole. He could hear yelling, and a woman's screams, over the shooting. Harvey's anxiety for his friends was reaching panic level.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harvey stopped his struggling a moment see what was trapping him. Wincing at the sight of the sharp piece of wood piercing his right leg, just below his knee, he finally figured out how to get loose.  
  
Sitting up from his sprawled position on the floor, Harvey pulled himself to his left knee. Closing his eyes, he grabbed his right leg and gave it a jerk to the left, freeing the leg from the wood. Fighting panic, he levered himself from the hole and scrambled to the door. The firing had stopped and it was eerily quiet. God, what if the others were dead? It'd be his fault.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harvey spun around the doorframe into the hall. Seeing nothing, he hurried to the living room, and stumbled to a halt at the sight that greeted him. Evan was handcuffing Bobby Moore, Nash was slipping his gun back into his holster, while Joe checked the pulse of a body on the floor.  
  
The adrenaline seemed to drain from Harvey's body, leaving him shaky with relief. He caught Nash's eye and gave him a wan smile. Snapping his holster strap, Nash smiled back. "What kept you, Harv?"  
  
"Sorry, Nash, I fell-" Both Nash and Harvey turned at the sound of an angry voice cutting in.  
  
"Yeah, where the hell were you, Harvey?" Joe wasn't kidding as Nash had been; he was serious. His look was a mixture of anger and accusation.  
  
Taken aback by Joe's tone, Harvey tried to explain what happened. "Take it easy, Joseph. I fell-"  
  
"Take it easy? Harvey, we could've been killed! What were you doing back there?"  
  
"Joe! Back off." Taking a few steps to stand between the two, Nash held up a placating hand. "Harvey, why don't you go out to the van and radio for some unies, an ambulance for this guy and the meat wagon for Tran?"  
  
It was more an order than a question. Glancing at Joe, then Evan, Harvey felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach. Giving Nash a slow nod, he turned and made his way to the front door. He forced himself to walk without limping, using the pain to try to block the words running through his head like a mantra. They don't trust you. They don't trust you.  
  
When Harvey was gone, Nash turned on Joe with a glare of anger. "Joe, what the hell is the matter with you, man? You know there had to be a good reason for Harvey being delayed back there."  
  
"No I don't know that, Nash. Everyone in the house was in here. What could've delayed him? The room he was in was as empty as mine." When he'd first heard the gunfire, Joe had been scared to death that something had happened to Nash and the results of that fear still lingered. He'd lashed out at the nearest, easiest target. "Maybe he came back too soon, Nash. Maybe Harvey's lost his nerve. I mean…he had to have known Aaron was going to kill him."  
  
Shaking his head at Joe's stubbornness, dismayed at the apparent lack of trust among his team, Nash stared long and hard at his best friend. "Something has been lost, here, Joe…but it isn't nerve."  
  
Turning from the front window, where he'd been following Harvey's slow progress across the street to the surveillance van, Evan glared at Joe. "Way to go."  
  
"Evan." Making sure he had Evan's attention, Nash waved toward the back of the house. "See if you can find the software in one of the other rooms. Maybe they stashed it here."  
  
He knew Nash was trying to get him out of the room so everyone could calm down, but Evan didn't really want to cool off. He was angry, and felt he had every right to be. He felt he was owed a few answers. That was his partner they were talking about. But, he trusted Nash. Shooting Joe one last dark look, Evan left to search the rest of the house.  
  
Scrubbing a hand over his mouth, Nash bowed his head. How could so much go wrong, so fast? Raising his head to look back at Joe, he sighed.  
  
"What? Now you're taking his side?" Joe waved a hand in the direction of the front door, giving Nash a look of surprise.  
  
"There are no sides here, Joe. Teams don't have sides. That's what this is supposed to be…a team." Nash pressed the fingers of one hand to his forehead. The whole thing was giving him a headache. "Joe…watch these guys while I go give Evan a hand."  
  
Not wanting to get into it while emotions were still high, Nash left his partner to watch the suspects. He passed the room Evan was busy searching and headed for the back two bedrooms. He only had to glance in the first room to know it was a waste of time. It was completely empty. The door to the closet stood open, and it was empty as well. Crossing the hall, Nash stopped in the doorway of the other room.  
  
"Well, that explains what delayed Harvey." It was easy to figure out what had happened. The hole in the floor told the story plain enough. It was obvious from the edges of the wood that the breaks were fresh. Skirting the hole, carefully testing the floor, Nash went to check the closet. It was as empty as the last one.  
  
When Nash returned to the living room, he raised an eyebrow. The first units had already arrived. "That was quick, boys."  
  
"We were just a few blocks away, Inspector. You got lucky." Hauling Moore to his feet, the uniformed officer nodded toward the body on the floor. "The meat wagon was just a few minutes behind us. They'll be here soon. You want us to take the girl in, too?"  
  
"No, let her wait for another unit. I don't want those two comparing stories." Nash figured after what happened, the girlfriend would be very cooperative. She was huddled in the corner, a look of shock on her face, her dirty blonde hair falling into her eyes.  
  
A wail of sirens announced the arrival of the ambulance for the third shooter. The room was suddenly full of people and noise. The wounded man was yelling, radios squawked with muffled transmissions, the girl was crying again and more units were pulling up outside. It was going to be a long night. And it would get even longer when they all got back to the SIU. Nash was sure of that.  
  
Sitting in the surveillance van, Harvey watched the people coming and going from the dilapidated old house. I should be in there. But he knew it would only cause more tension. Besides, it looked like the room was probably full, anyway.  
  
As the paramedics emerged from the house and negotiated the gurney down the slippery steps, Harvey reached over to turn off the monitor. Guess I might as well make myself useful. He turned off all the surveillance equipment, popped out the tapes, labeled them and slipped them into their protective plastic cases. Sliding an evidence box out from under the desktop, he dropped the tapes and logbooks inside. He did it all automatically; he'd done it a thousands times. Which was a good thing, since his mind wasn't on what he was doing.  
  
"What the hell just happened? How could I be so stupid as to fall through the floor, anyway? And what the heck was up with Joe? Does he think I was back there playing around? The three of them are up there getting shot at and I'm back in that room with my thumb up my-" Harvey stopped mid-rant when he realized he was talking out loud, yelling at nobody but himself. Blowing out a calming breath, he sank down on one of the stools and braced his hands on his knees.  
  
His bowed head came up with a snap when the back door flew open. Evan jumped inside and shook water from his hair. "Man, I'll be glad when it stops raining. You okay, Harv?"  
  
"Peachy."  
  
"Nash and Joe are coming as soon as they finish up." Evan gave his partner a penetrating look. "Seriously, Harv…you okay? Joe didn't mean what he said back there. He was just letting out the fear, you know?"  
  
"I don't think so, Evan. I think there's more to it than that."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know, brother. I just don't know." Harvey shrugged and leaned over to brace his elbows on his knees. Lacing his fingers together, he propped his chin on his hands and brooded over the situation.  
  
Sitting next to his partner, Evan left Harvey alone to work things out on his own. He just sat there quietly, watching the water drip from the cuff of Harvey's pants, showing his support by just being there. It took a few moments for Evan to realize the small puddle by Harvey's foot had a pink tinge to it.  
  
"Harvey, are you bleeding?"  
  
"Probably."  
  
"Probably?" Grumbling to himself about moody partners, Evan spotted the tear in Harvey's pants tried to take a closer look.  
  
Jerking his leg away with a hiss of pain, Harvey scowled at his partner. "Dammit, Evan, what are doing? That hurt."  
  
"I'm sorry, Harv. I just wanted to see how bad it was. C'mon, don't be a baby. Let me look at it."  
  
"What are you, Dr. Kildare?" But, Harvey relented when he saw the look on Evan's face. His partner was worried…and meant business. "Okay, Ev. If it will ease your mind, take a look."  
  
Widening the tear in the pants leg despite Harvey's protests, Evan moved to get a better look. "You really think you'll be wearing these pants again, Harv?"  
  
Glancing down at the soda spot, bloodstains, splattered mud and the four- inch tear in his slacks…Harvey had to concede that one. The only thing those pants would be good for now, was yard work. He grimaced and tensed when Evan poked at the wound with his finger. "Take it easy, Ev."  
  
"Would you sit still? Harvey, this looks pretty deep and I think there's some splinters in there." Straightening back up in his seat, Evan shrugged sympathetically. "Sorry, brother, but you're gonna need stitches in that one."  
  
"Says you." Twisting his leg around, Harvey tried to get a good look for himself. "It doesn't look that bad. I'll just pour some peroxide on it and slap on a bandage. No big deal."  
  
Evan shook his head and smiled at Harvey's stubbornness. "You're sailing down a river called denial, bubba. Nash'll make you go get it checked out as soon as he sees it, you know."  
  
"Well, Nash won't see it. It's fine, Evan."  
  
"Harvey, you think Nash won't notice a gaping hole in the side of your pants? C'mon."  
  
"Don't say anything to Nash, okay? I'll take care of it after we get off work."  
  
"Why does it matter?" For the life of him, Evan couldn't understand Harvey's reluctance. What possible difference would it make if Nash knew he'd injured himself?  
  
"Because I feel stupid enough as it is, Evan! Just leave it alone."  
  
Now Evan was really confused. "Stupid? For what? How did you hurt our leg, anyway?"  
  
With a sigh, Harvey explained what had happened back in that room. He still felt foolish. He rubbed his hands on his thighs then reached up to tug on his ear with nervous energy. "So, that's what kept me from getting to you guys earlier."  
  
Shaking his head in disbelief, Evan frowned. "And this is why you feel stupid? Harvey, how were you supposed to know the floor was about to collapse? You know you're being ridiculous."  
  
Not waiting for a reply, Evan stood and slid open the door to the cab of the truck. Leaning through, he grabbed the first aid kit from behind the passenger seat. He knelt next to Harvey, flipped open the small metal box and pulled out some 4x4s and rolled gauze. "At least let me put something on it so it'll stop bleeding, okay?"  
  
They both looked up as the back door opened and Nash scrambled inside, followed by Joe. Catching sight of Evan on the floor, holding a bunch of bandages, Nash raised an eyebrow. His eyes traveled to the tear in Harvey's pants, putting two and two together.  
  
Sitting down on the stool that Evan had vacated, Nash took a look at the damage left by the hole in the floor. "Harvey, why didn't you tell me about this?"  
  
Darting a quick glance at Joe before looking Nash in the eye, Harvey made a frustrated gesture. "I tried to tell you, Nash."  
  
Holding up a placating hand, Nash sighed. "I know you did, Harv. I'm sorry. Look, why don't we sort this out back at he SIU? Evan, you run Harvey over to the hospital to get his leg taken care of, then you guys meet us back at the rotunda. We'll take the van in."  
  
Evan appeared as if he wanted to say something, but the look on Nash's face stayed his voice. He flicked a glance at Harvey before nodding his assent. For his part, Harvey took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh, also nodding his agreement. Satisfied that tempers wouldn't explode in the next few minutes, Nash opened the door and headed back out in the rain to issue a few orders to the uniformed officers sealing off the perimeter for the CSU guys.  
  
The muscles in his jaw twitched as Evan kept his mouth shut against the words that wanted to spill out in anger. He studiously avoided looking Joe's direction, focusing instead on cleaning and bandaging the wound in Harvey's leg. Something's going on here with those three and, as usual, I'm left in the dark. Well, Harv'll tell me about it sooner or later.  
  
Despite his resolve, Evan turned to see what Joe was doing. The older man was looking through the logbook, but Evan knew he wasn't really seeing what was on the pages. The book was upside down. Joe glanced over and the two locked gazes. Evan could see the remorse on Joe's face and knew the man wanted to take back what he'd said. The problem was…how do you undo the damage angry words wrought?  
  
After taping the bandage, Evan put the first aid kit back together and slipped it behind the seat. Slapping his partner on the shoulder, he gestured toward the door. "You heard the man, Harv. Let's go."  
  
Without a word, Harvey stood and took a step for the door. He stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. "Something you want to add, Joe?"  
  
Joe felt bad about what had happened. For a few terrifying seconds, he'd been afraid he'd lost his partner. Of course, Nash had sailed through it all without a scratch as usual. The resulting relief had quickly turned to anger and he couldn't take it out on the handcuffed suspects. So, he'd had to find a substitute…and Harvey walked into the room.  
  
"Harvey, I…it's just…I didn't-" How do I explain this?  
  
"You know, Joseph…just let me know when you get it worked out." Harvey felt utterly drained and didn't feel like dealing with it.  
  
Watching the two figures hurrying through the rain, Joe leaned out to grab the door. He swung it shut then flopped down on a seat. Dropping his head in his hands, he groaned. "Oh, man. I've made a helluva mess this time."  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
Fixing his eyes on his partner's back, Harvey tried to ignore what the doctor was doing and concentrate on Evan's flirting. It had a been a long two-hour wait for a bed in the ER, and they both just wanted to get out of there and head back to the office. Of course, Evan's distraction was a lot better than Harvey's.  
  
Tucking the nurse's number into his shirt pocket as she hurried down the hallway, Evan turned around to see how Harvey was doing. Darting glances at the curtains dividing the room, hiding other ill or injured patients, he suppressed a shudder. Evan hated hospitals. "How you doin', Harv?"  
  
With a grimace, Harvey grabbed a handful of the bed sheet and tried not to move his leg. "Oh, just great, Ev. I enjoy having a doctor poke an instrument that looks like really long tweezers into a hole in my leg."  
  
"Well, as long as you're having fun." Evan hopped out of the way when Harvey swung an arm at him.  
  
"If you two are finished playing around, may I continue?" Dr. Syler, who appeared as young as Evan, tried to look disapproving, but his youthful face couldn't quite pull it off.  
  
Suppressing a smile, Evan shrugged. "Sure, doc, sorry about that. My partner's kind of childish, you know?"  
  
That earned him a dirty look from Harvey, which he chose to ignore. His partner's bedraggled look made it hard to be intimidated. Harvey's hair had finally dried, but stuck up in odd directions in short little spikes, plus he still had fading bruises and a scabby lip from his kidnapping.  
  
"You know you're having a bad day when you're laying in an ER bed in your shorts, with a doctor poking 'an instrument that looks like really long tweezers' in a hole in your leg…and it's still better than what you were doing a week ago." Smiling, Evan tried not to laugh. "Nice shorts, by the way."  
  
Fingering the hem of his boxers, Harvey shrugged. "What's wrong with them?"  
  
"You're definitely a Deadhead when even your underwear is Grateful Dead." Evan's cheeks ached with suppressed laughter and he finally let it out.  
  
Evan's laughter was contagious and Harvey smiled his first genuine smile of the day. Shrugging sheepishly, he joined in the laughter. "Yeah, well, it was a Christmas gift from Bonnie."  
  
"Oh, sure, blame it on the wife."  
  
Shaking his head, the young doctor listened to the light-hearted insults flying back and forth between the two Inspectors. He sure met some strange people when he worked in the ER…  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
Hearing familiar laughter, Nash looked up from his desk in surprise. Harvey and Evan were joking back and forth as they weaved their way past the Tenderloin officers. Harvey was limping a little and wearing scrub pants, but looked better than he had several hours ago. And…he was smiling. God bless you, Evan Cortez.  
  
"Welcome back, guys. How'd it go?"  
  
"They took out a few splinters, put in a few stitches…nothing to it."  
  
"You're okay to work tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure, Nash. Not a problem." Well, not a problem because of his leg, anyway.  
  
"Glad to hear, bubba. As soon as you boys finish your paper work, you can head out of here." Grinning at Evan's groan over the paperwork, Nash waited for him to leave so he could have a word with Harvey. "Joe's in the file room, Harv. He really feels bad about this morning and wants to apologize."  
  
Although still concerned about the seeming lack of trust, Harvey was the type of person who was quick to forgive. His insecurities tended to get in the way of the forgetting part, but he was working on it. "I'll take care of it, Nash."  
  
He hoped so. Nash hated feeling so much tension among his fellow team members. They were supposed to work together as a unit, and this friction wasn't making a rough week any easier. He felt like they were all just a little out of step, and it made him uneasy. Getting back to his paperwork, Nash knew how Evan felt. That was another reason he hadn't taken the lieutenant's exam. If he thought his paperwork now was bad…AJ had it ten times worse.  
  
Just as he dropped the completed file into his box, Nash spotted Harvey and Joe walking back to their desks. Both men seemed more at ease with each other, so maybe they'd worked out their differences. Neither one of them told Nash what had transpired, and he didn't ask. If they could just make it through the next few days, Nash knew they'd all get back to normal. Just a few more days.  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
The next morning found the team huddled around AJ's desk, looking over pictures and a diagram. "Okay, Narco passed this one on to us yesterday, per the Chief's orders."  
  
"Why us, Lieutenant?" Evan wondered what made this one so special that Narcotics had to turn it over to the SIU.  
  
"Well, it seems this particular PCP lab is turning out some poisonous stuff and the Chief's niece is now in a coma. They tracked down her buyer, scared him enough to finger the lab and the Chief tossed it to us. Narco is up to their eyeballs in busts right now, and could use the help anyway."  
  
"Helluva way to find out your niece is on drugs." Joe was eternally grateful his son had never gotten into that kind of scene. A slacker he may be, but at least he was clean.  
  
"No kidding, bubba." Checking out the diagram, Nash gestured to the exits. "Where do you want us, AJ?"  
  
"You, myself and Joe will take the front. Bryn, Evan and Harvey will take the back. According to the buyer, there are three guys that run this lab, so it shouldn't be a problem. Unless they're sampling their own product, of course. We all know what PCP can do, so let's be careful."  
  
Making sure each one understood his meaning, AJ nodded. "Okay, then. If we're all set on what we're supposed to do, let's get this show on the road."  
  
The drive to the lab was quiet and tense. Each person was preparing themselves for the upcoming bust in their own way. As the vehicles turned the corner and the building came into view, they all double-checked their weapons in preparation.  
  
Parking the 'Cuda where it couldn't be seen from the lab, Nash turned around to see Harvey and Evan doing the same. Everyone gathered around Nash's car for last minute instructions then split up into two teams. Bryn, Evan and Harvey trotted down the ally to come around the back of the lab. The others waited by the 'Cuda to give them time to get there.  
  
After a couple of minutes, AJ looked at his watch then nodded to Nash and Joe. "Okay, let's do it."  
  
Crossing quickly to the front of the small warehouse, Joe and AJ pressed up against the wall as Nash picked the lock and slid open the door. Chaos erupted as shouts from the other end of the large room echoed the words of Nash and AJ. "S.F.P.D.! Nobody move!"  
  
It immediately became clear that their information was in error, however. There weren't three men in the lab…but seven. AJ swore under his breath as people went running in every direction.  
  
Two men sized up their chances of escape, and immediately threw chairs at a pair of windows. Scrambling through, they took off…Joe and Evan right behind them. Ducking as one man opened fire, Nash waited a moment then popped up and fired off a shot, hitting the man in the chest. That left four.  
  
AJ got Nash's attention and pointed to the far right of the room where two men were running up a metal staircase to the loft. Nash smiled without humor. "And just where do they think they're gonna go up there? There's no exit."  
  
"Let's find out."  
  
"After you, bubba."  
  
Keeping low, the two followed their suspects up the stairs. As soon as they reached the top, they had to duck behind a stack of crates near the metal railing. "Looks like our two geniuses have discovered their mistake, AJ."  
  
"Seems so. Any ideas?"  
  
"Wait 'til they run out of bullets?" Nash gave AJ a Cheshire grin. He never tired of the thrill of the chase. The smile quickly fell a moment later. The sounds of shots from below let them know Bryn and Harvey were having problems of their own.  
  
Big problems. Harvey had wounded his suspect after tiring of being shot at. He'd waited until the scrawny little guy had had to reload, then popped up from behind a desk and hit the man in the leg. After kicking away the suspect's weapon and placing him in handcuffs, Harvey looked around for the others. What he found had him swearing softly.  
  
Bryn was taking cover behind a large wooden desk. Her suspect stood 6'6" if he was an inch, and had to be pushing 300lbs. She'd wounded him twice, but the bullets had apparently not even slowed him down. He was roaring in rage, his face red and glistening, swinging a large metal pipe with one hand, like a scythe. This man had obviously used some the PCP they'd been making. Bryn was in trouble.  
  
Leaving his handcuffed suspect on the floor, Harvey ran up behind the raging man, careful to stay out of reach of the pipe and raised his weapon. "Hold it right there! Take one more step and I'll shoot."  
  
Carefully rising up from her position behind the desk, Bryn also leveled her weapon. "I'd do as he says, Attila."  
  
Neither was prepared for the sudden burst of violence that followed. Bellowing his anger, the man spun and hurled the pipe at Harvey's head. Throwing up his left arm in defense, Harvey was able to keep the pipe from taking his head off, but hissed in pain when it connected with his forearm.  
  
The suspect lunged at the desk and flipped it toward Bryn like it was a footstool. She fired off a quick shot as she stumbled back, missing the hulking man and nearly hitting Harvey instead.  
  
Ducking reflexively at the pinging sound next to him, Harvey quickly realized he needed to draw attention away from Bryn. He took aim at the man's leg and fired. Aside from a small grunt of pain from the impact, the big man didn't show any effect. Harvey fired once more. This time, it worked. The man didn't go down, but he did lose interest in Bryn. Now, he was after Harvey.  
  
Too late, Harvey realized he was closer than he thought. The huge man gave a sudden running lunge and wrapped his huge arms around Harvey's chest. Unable to get his gun between them, Harvey couldn't fire. He felt like he was being squeezed in a vise.  
  
Bryn couldn't believe what was happening. The guy just refused to go down. She'd seen some people pumped up on PCP before, but this guy was nuts. His strength was frightening, and she was afraid Harvey was going to get killed. Careful not to hit Harvey, she loosed off another shot, hitting the man in the back, just above his right hip. He didn't go down, but he did throw Harvey off to the side. He turned, picking up a chair, and advanced on Bryn once more.  
  
Hearing a dull, clicking sound when she pulled the trigger, Bryn's heart raced. Her clip was empty and she had no time to reload. "Oh, shit."  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
"You come up with any ideas, yet?" AJ ducked as another bullet imbedded itself in the wooden crate next to him.  
  
"No. You?"  
  
"Maybe. How're Bryn and Harvey doing down there?" A large pole blocked AJ's view of the events down below.  
  
Glancing down between the railings, Nash did a double take. "Uh-oh. Not so good. I think their guy down there has been sampling the merchandise. You better think of something, quick."  
  
"Harvey won't let anything happen to Bryn."  
  
"You haven't seen the guy they're up against."  
  
Making up his mind, AJ braced himself for a sprint. "Cover me, Nash."  
  
Opening fire when the lieutenant took off, Nash concentrated on drawing attention to himself and away from AJ…without getting shot himself. It was several long heartbeats before he heard the sharp report from AJ's weapon.  
  
"All clear, Nash."  
  
Hurrying over, Nash smiled at the blond man writhing on the ground. His partner had been more fortunate, and smarter. Tossing his handcuffs to AJ, Nash waved toward the stairs. "I'm going down to give Harvey and Bryn a hand."  
  
They could use the hand, too. When the big man had tossed him aside like a forgotten toy, Harvey hit a table and rolled off onto the floor. He lost his weapon in the process and heard it sliding across the concrete, but didn't see where it went. Of course, in the tumble, he'd only seen a kaleidoscopic view of ceiling, table and floor.  
  
Hitting the ground with a thud, he rolled over and scrambled to his feet. He saw the suspect advancing on Bryn and looked around frantically for his gun. He couldn't find it.  
  
"Dammit."  
  
Well, there was only one thing to do. Running the few steps between himself and the suspect, Harvey leaped onto the man's back, wrapping his arms around the guy's neck to try to choke him out. In hindsight, it might not have been the best idea.  
  
Hastily reloading her weapon, Bryn stood and tried to take aim at the crazed suspect, but couldn't get a clear shot because of Harvey.  
  
Raging, all thought processes blocked by the drug he'd used, Jack Parish stumbled around trying to rid himself of the weight on his back. He couldn't think. All he could do was react to the anger and pain flooding his brain. Slamming against a pillar, Jack tried to dislodge the man who was slowly choking him. Again and again, he threw his side and back into the concrete pillar, but the stubborn man wouldn't let go.  
  
Sliding to a stop, Nash couldn't believe what he was seeing. The last suspect was a veritable giant, and Harvey was clinging doggedly to the guy's back like a kid on a piggyback ride. The pair was staggering around like some crazy new dance step. Like Bryn, Nash was unable to get a clear shot.  
  
Making a quick assessment of the situation, Nash slipped his gun back in its holster and picked up a heavy chair. Getting as close as he dared to Harvey and the suspect, he lifted the chair over his shoulder and waited until the suspect spun around so he was facing away.  
  
"Harvey, let go!" Thankfully, Harvey reacted instantly, letting go and dropping to the floor. Swinging the metal chair as hard as he could, Nash landed it across the back of Jack's head. He staggered a step, blinked twice, then dropped like a felled ox.  
  
Sitting the chair back on the floor, Nash leaned over and braced his hands on his knees. Looking up at Bryn, who still looked momentarily stunned, he smiled. "You okay, Bryn?"  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."  
  
"You should pick on somebody your own size next time, sister."  
  
"Funny, Nash." Bryn went over to check on Harvey, who was still lying on the floor. "You okay, Harv?"  
  
Still recovering from his wild ride, Harvey moved his limbs experimentally. Everything seemed to work okay. "I'll let you know as soon as the room stops spinning. What a ride."  
  
"After that one, bubba, the mechanical bull should be a cinch." Laughing, Nash leaned down to give Harvey a hand up.  
  
"Don't let him tease you. I owe you one, Harv." Still a little stunned by the incredible strength the drugged man had displayed, Bryn shuddered.  
  
Dusting off his pants, wincing at what was sure to be a whole new crop of bruises, Harvey looked down at the still form of their suspect. "Man, that guy was a raving lunatic. You got an ambulance on the way, Nashman?"  
  
"I already called, Nash." AJ had seen the tail end of the little drama as he came down the stairs to help out if needed, and couldn't believe Harvey had jumped a guy that big. "I knew I could trust you to take care of the situation, Harv, but that wasn't quite what I had in mind."  
  
Still slightly dazed, it took a moment for AJ's words to register in Harvey's brain. Then it hit him. AJ had said he trusted him. An overwhelming sense of relief swept over him and he smiled. One down, one to go. "Hey, it's called improvisation."  
  
While the others dealt with the suspects, Harvey cast around looking for his gun. It had to be around there, somewhere. He finally found it under a cabinet and tried to fish it out with a piece of wire.  
  
"What's the matter, Harv? Lose something on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?"  
  
"You heard, huh?" Harvey didn't even bother to look up from what he was doing. He was sure Evan would tease him for days about his unorthodox maneuver. "Where were you the whole time Bryn and I were wrestling with Paul Bunion, anyway?"  
  
"My guy was faster than he looked. I had to chase the scumbag for blocks. There are times that I really hate San Francisco, brother. Way too many hills." Evan reached down to rub his sore calves, almost wishing he'd stayed behind to take on the drugged out giant.  
  
"Ah, ha. Got it." Fishing his gun out from under the cabinet, Harvey held it up for inspection. Nothing seemed damaged. Climbing to his feet, he looked around for Joe. "Where's Joseph?"  
  
"Outside, cleaning off his shoes." Smiling at Harvey's questioning look, Evan rubbed his chin. "I guess the guy he was chasing shouldn't have eaten so much before a drug bust."  
  
"Oh, no." Harvey considered it Karmic justice for the day before.  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
After they had wrapped everything up at the lab, the SIU team members met back by the 'Cuda. Nash and AJ shared a smile. The other four were all looking a little rough around the edges after that one. Pulling two warrants from his jacket pocket, AJ became serious.  
  
"Okay, boys and girls, one of our suspects talked. He gave us the names of two suppliers and I got a rush on the warrants. One of our units just dropped them off. We need to get this stuff off the street before it puts someone else in a coma or, worse, the morgue." He handed one slip of paper to Joe, the other to Bryn. "Bryn, you and Evan pick up Mitch Lyons. The address there is the hotel room he uses as a base of operations. Joe, you and Harvey get the honor of bringing in a Mr. Mario Perez. You should be able to find him there at his house. If he's not there, wait for him."  
  
Bryn handed the address to Evan and the two headed for Evan's truck. Joe looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind and joined Harvey in the Ranchero. As they watched the two vehicles pull away, Nash rubbed a hand over his mouth. "You sure that was such a good idea, AJ? Pairing up Joe and Harvey?"  
  
"They've got to work it out, Nash. The sooner the better."  
  
"Well, I guess that's why you make the big bucks, bubba." Slapping the lieutenant on the back, Nash chuckled.  
  
"You keep getting divorces and you'll have to finally take that lieutenant's exam to get those big bucks, too."  
  
"Don't even joke about stuff like that, man." Shaking his head at the thought of such a thing, Nash slid into the driver's seat. "Let's get back to the SIU and see if we can get a few more names out of our little songbird, shall we?"  
  
"Yeah, I think we should have a little 'come to Jesus' with the runt."  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
Harvey was thinking about having a little 'come to Jesus' meeting, himself. The drive to Perez' house was painfully quiet. He finally popped the Van Morrison tape back in, just to have a distraction. It had the side benefit of helping him relax a little.  
  
Pulling up to the curb across from the address they'd been given, Harvey turned off the engine. The place looked quiet. He hoped they wouldn't be waiting all day for Perez to show up. "How do you want to play this, Joseph?"  
  
"Let's just go up to front door like a couple of salesmen and see if this guy's home. If he's not, we'll search the place then come back out here to wait."  
  
"Sounds like a plan. Let's do it."  
  
Acting like they had nothing more on their minds than making a sale, the two headed across the street and up the front steps. Joe rapped on the door and rang the bell, but they got no response. They waited a few minutes, then Joe pulled out some lock picks. "Well, let's see if I've learned anything from Nash."  
  
He took longer than Nash would have, but after a minute of maneuvering the small picks, Joe smiled at the satisfying click. "Bingo. Let's make this quick in case Perez shows up."  
  
Weapons ready, they slid silently inside. The living room was empty. Waving for Harvey to check the kitchen, Joe started for the hallway. Harvey nodded and walked quietly through the swinging door to the kitchen, thinking that at least the floor in this house wasn't likely to cave in.  
  
After a quick look in the pantry and laundry room, Harvey stepped out into the hallway. Something didn't feel quite right. He couldn't hear a sound other than his own quiet breathing. Where was Joe?  
  
Coming to the first room off the hallway, Harvey leaned against the wall. He strained to hear any sounds inside the room, but there was nothing. Taking a deep breath, he spun around the doorframe, weapon ready. Nothing. The room was empty. He checked the closet and under the bed, just in case. No sign of Joe.  
  
Heading back into the hall, Harvey stopped outside the next bedroom. He was starting to sweat. There was definitely something wrong. Harvey tried to settle his pounding heart, and counted silently to himself. At the count of three, he turned and pointed his gun into the room. It was pointed right at Joe's chest.  
  
Mario Perez was home. He was standing behind Joe with his hand over Joe's mouth and a gun pressed to his ear. "Move a muscle, and I blow your friend's head off."  
  
"Drop the gun, Perez. We have a warrant for your arrest. You kill him…I kill you. It's that simple."  
  
"Drop it, cop!"  
  
"Your only way out of here is in a pair of handcuffs, Perez. Do what I tell you and put down that weapon."  
  
"I'm not going to jail! I'll kill him, I mean it." Mario dropped his hand from Joe's mouth, to wrap his arm around his hostage's neck, instead. "You back off and let me out of here, or he dies."  
  
His arm steady, Harvey felt the prickling of sweat running down the back of his neck. They were in a bad situation. If he backed down, they'd both likely be shot. If he didn't, Joe would be the one to die. It was all going to come down one thing.  
  
Keeping his weapon trained on Perez, Harvey shifted his eyes from the gun sight to Joe. "Joe, do you trust me?"  
  
Time froze. Harvey's heartbeat kept the count. Then…Joe gave a minute nod. Shifting his gaze back to the sight, Harvey started to close his right eye. "Now."  
  
Immediately, Joe sagged in his captor's grip. Startled, Perez didn't react quickly enough. There was a deafening explosion and it was all over.  
  
"You so much as twitch, Perez, and you'll be missing more than just an ear." Harvey watched in grim satisfaction as Mario reached up a shaky hand to feel the left side of his head. Perez let his gun drop from nerveless fingers, his face going a chalky white.  
  
Picking up the discarded weapon, Joe climbed to his feet and took a few deep breaths. That one was way too close for comfort. "Thanks, Harvey."  
  
Perez looked at Joe with a stunned expression and pointed at Harvey. "Th- that dude just shot off my ear!"  
  
"I sure hope you're not expecting sympathy, you moron." Fishing a handkerchief from his pocket, he tossed it to Mario. "Here, put that on it and shut up."  
  
"You okay, Joe?" Slipping his gun back in its holster, Harvey grabbed Perez by the arm to lead him outside.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. He was hiding behind the damn door and jumped me when I came in."  
  
"Hey, it happens. Forget about it. I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to call this a day."  
  
"I heard that, bubba." Leaving Harvey with their suspect, who was still moaning and holding his ear, Joe continued the search of the house. By the time the first units arrived, he still hadn't found any drugs. Once Perez was in the back of a squad car, Joe decided to leave the search up to the uniformed officers. He'd had enough.  
  
"Let's head back, Harv. If they find anything, they'll let us know."  
  
"No arguments from me, Joseph. Mind if we stop on the way for something to eat? I'm starving."  
  
"Why, Harvey, what an excellent idea."  
  
~~~~~***~~~~~  
  
Sitting on the edge of Bryn's desk, Nash looked up when he heard Joe's voice. He didn't see any handcuffed suspects, so he couldn't understand why Joe and Harvey would be in such a good mood. The two were actually laughing, Harvey leaning over to say something in Joe's ear.  
  
"Why do the two of you look like the cat that ate the canary? What happened to Perez?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Nash decided he wasn't so sure he wanted to know.  
  
Coming to a halt in front of Bryn's desk, Harvey shrugged. He'd let Joe tell it. Running a hand over what was left of his hair, Joe shook his head. "Bubba, this has been the day from hell. We thought the house was empty, so we went inside to look around. Mario got the jump on me. Harvey came and found us, and Perez threatened to shoot me if Harvey didn't drop his gun. Harvey didn't have a choice."  
  
After waiting a moment, and Joe didn't continue, Nash waved his arm. "And?"  
  
"And, Harvey shot him. Mario's on his way to the hospital, then jail." Joe shrugged and acted as if it was no big deal.  
  
Turning to Harvey, Nash smiled broadly. "Way to go, bubba. Want to tell me how you managed to get Joe out of that mess?"  
  
Glancing at Joe, Harvey fidgeted with his ear and smiled. "It's all a matter of trust, Nashman."  
  
Watching in disbelief as Joe and Harvey wandered off, thick as thieves and acting as if the last few days had never happened, Nash shook his head. I'm the head inmate of an insane asylum.  
  
END 


End file.
